The project for the residential nucleus in Corso Como in Milan is inspired by the traditional Milanese ringhiera house (where the apartments are accessed from external balconies) as paradigm of collective and community living.
Considering that the design of the living space in architecture influences and is influenced by the idea of the individual and the community and by the way in which these persons relate to a certain cultural context, there are no indispensable dividing walls in this project, but flexible membranes that can be modelled as determined by how people relate to one another. Some essential functions are provided by small autonomous nuclei, while the predominant space is the void of relations among the objects.
The systems of connection and distribution, such as the stairs and the balconies, outline the structural skeleton of the residential complex, at the same time regulating the aggregative logics, people’s movements and the way they appropriate their domestic space and the social one. The nuclei are mobile in the sense that they may be connected to the lines of the utility system in different points, thus forming semi-private spaces around them.
The organizational logic of the residential spaces therefore reflects a principle where some areas of the architectural organism are shared by the inhabitants, in such a way that the use of the domestic environments is articulated as a function of the social habits of each inhabitant: the domestic space can be expanded or contracted, occupying larger or smaller communal areas within the residential complex. Each dweller may choose the degree of privacy or social interaction he or she prefers to give his or her dwelling, personalizing it from time to time, with the changing seasons or in the course of a single day.
A project as articulated as the residential complex in Corso Como requires, both during the design phase and the actual construction, specific and complementary expertise in the sectors of project management, integrated design and the organization and coordination of services characterized by a highly interdisciplinary approach. The work has therefore led to the formation of a design team formed by professionals with proven experience in research projects associated with social housing; a highly interdisciplinary team capable of optimizing the specific abilities of each individual that has further improved its skills in interfacing with other professionals and structures in the possession of complementary expertise.